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All the health experts agree: if you're a smoker, the best possible thing you can do to improve your health is give up the habit.

And it's estimated that at some point, almost all those who smoke try to give up. Most don't succeed the first time they try. In fact, it usually takes numerous attempts before a long-time smoker is able to permanently quit the habit.

Statistics suggest that those who go it alone and try to quit have only a seven-per cent success rate. However, when smokers seek the aid of health-care professionals, those who really know what it takes to kick the nasty habit, the ability to finally stop jumps to about 30 per cent.

Beginning today, three brave souls will allow readers to watch their stop-smoking journey. In our pages and online at newsdurhamregion.com, you'll be able to follow the six-week quitting challenge of three Durham Region citizens who badly want to stop smoking.

The idea grew out of wanting to see how best to go about giving up a nicotine addiction. After putting out the word that we wanted to hear from local smokers, we got more than 100 phone calls and e-mails in just 48 hours. We've narrowed that huge number down to the lucky three who will get the services of experts from the Durham Smoking Cessation Network. Over the next six weeks a group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists will help our trio in their battle to remain smoke free.

The threesome are:

Marven Whidden, 46, of Clarington, a father of two teenagers, who spends the first few minutes of the day coughing and hacking. He wants to live to see his grandkids, has tried drugs like Zyban and Champix, but nothing has worked. He feels he is ready this time.

Sherrie Webber, 26, of Oshawa, whose mother died at 49 of lung cancer last year, is a two-pack-a-day smoker who says she coughs for an hour and a half each morning when she gets up. She has tried to quit four times before, mostly cold turkey. She has the support of her father, sister and boyfriend and is determined to succeed this time.

John Hatch, 18, of Oshawa, began to smoke in Grade 10 and saw it in his home -- both his parents smoke -- as do his friends. He says he was curious about it and got hooked and is up to a half pack a day. He wants to save up for a car instead of spending on ciggies and feels ready to quit as he enters Durham College in the fall.

You can follow the progress of our trio each Wednesday in the newspaper and online at newsdurhamregion.com throughout August and into September.